Insights & advice

100,000 People Overpaid Power of Attorney Fees – Do You Qualify for a Refund? How Can You Reclaim?

A Power of Attorney fee refund scheme has been launched. The scheme will see all those eligible for a partial refund to claim back money they overspent when making a Power of Attorney application.

Power of attorney

The new scheme was launched on the 1st of February of this year and aims to return the overpaid fee back to those who applied for lasting or enduring powers of attorney between the 1st April 2013 – 31st March 2017.

The reason for the confusion of the price is down to the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) operating costs. The price should have reduced due to the process becoming more efficient. As the process became easily accessible, more people applied to register a power of attorney with the old cost.

The new scheme allows those who applied for lasting power of attorney (LPA) and enduring power of attorney (EPA) can claim a refund if they qualify.

Please note: you can only claim the refund if you made the power of attorney in England or Wales.

Who can claim a refund?

For anyone who applied for lasting or enduring power of attorney between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2017.

You will be able to make a claim as:

Only one claim is required, this is made by the donor. The refund must always be paid to the donor.

How to claim

Claiming for your refund is very simple.

Claim online it takes around 10 minutes and you will require the donor’s UK bank account number and sort code.

Claim by phone – If you do not have access to a computer or you struggle to use one, then you can claim by phone. If the donor doesn’t have a UK bank account or you’re a court-appointed deputy, you must claim by phone. You can do this by calling 0300 456 0300 (choose option 6).

If the donor has died

If the donor has sadly passed away, then you’ll need to provide the following documents before you make the claim:

You can then email the document to poarefunds@justice.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:

POA Refunds Team,
7th Floor, Office of the Public Guardian,
PO Box 16185,
Birmingham,
B2 2WH

(addresses available on the gov.uk website)

What happens after the claim is made?

Your claim will be reviewed – this can take up to 12 weeks. If the claim is approved, then the refund will be paid to the donor’s bank account.


We provide client focussed legal advice and assistance.

Our solicitors strive to deliver the best advice and assistance and an outstanding customer experience.

We serve our customers right the way across Wiltshire and Hampshire with offices in Warminster, Amesbury and Stockbridge.

Enquire about our services today.

Just a short note to once again express my sincere thanks to you, Sue and the M&U team, for all your help, cooperation and first class professional support. I am most grateful to you all.

Chris Stephenson, Warminster

Middletons Solicitors uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue we assume that you consent to receive all cookies on this website.